Michael Swickard's new novel about New Mexico

ARTESIA, N.M. – Rep. Harry Teague made an expensive decision last June when he supported Democratic leaders on climate change. The former oil man bucked his energy-producing home district to support Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s cap-and-trade legislation — a yes vote that cost him millions of dollars in lost business at his family’s company, which services the local oil and gas industry. And it’s a vote that ultimately could end up costing the House freshman his job. Teague stands out more than most Democrats when it comes to the climate change debate. Thanks to his conservative-minded and energy industry-driven constituency, he instantly landed atop the list of potential GOP pickup opportunities. Read more here:

Oil dropped to its lowest level in seven weeks as sales of previously owned U.S. homes fell more than forecast in July, boosting speculation that economic growth is slowing and curbing fuel demand. Futures dropped as much as 2.3 percent as U.S. stocks plummeted after the National Association of Realtors reported purchases of existing homes tumbled 27.2 percent to a 3.83 million annual rate. U.S. crude supplies rose last week, according to a Bloomberg News survey. “We’re getting all the classic signals that the economy is slowing down,” said Bill O’Grady, chief market strategist at Confluence Investment Management in St. Louis.

Crude for October delivery fell $1.33, or 1.8 percent, to $71.77 a barrel at 1:42 p.m. on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Earlier, it touched $71.45, the lowest price since July 7. Oil has lost 13 percent since Aug. 3 and has decreased 3.4 percent in the past year. Read more here:

With President Barack Obama and other members of his administration taking a summer break, one senior official stayed behind to pick up the slack. Vice President Joe Biden has been crossing the country over the past seven days on official visits and political events, staying in front of voters as the White House spokesman on the economy. Biden’s events give a preview of the role he’s likely to play for Democrats leading up to the congressional elections. He’s leading the president’s middle-class task force and is the headline player at events designed to showcase the impact of the stimulus passed last year to the voters Democrats are counting on in November to keep control of Congress. Read more here:

Sales of existing houses plunged by a record 27 percent in July as the effects of a government tax credit waned, showing a lack of jobs threatens to undermine the U.S. economic recovery. Purchases plummeted to a 3.83 million annual pace, the lowest in a decade of record keeping and worse than the most pessimistic forecast of economists surveyed by Bloomberg News, figures from the National Association of Realtors showed today in Washington. Demand for single-family houses dropped to a 15- year low and the number of homes on the market swelled. Read more here:

From NMPolitics.net - Lt. Gov. Diane Denish says she and her office will comply in the future with a state regulation requiring three or more official passengers on a flight, or prior authorization to fly with fewer passengers, even though she’s been advised that the regulation doesn’t apply to her. Denish’s use of state aircraft has been under scrutiny since KRQE-TV’s Larry Barker reported last month that the lieutenant governor had flown on state planes 39 times since 2006 in violation of the regulation requiring cost-efficient use of the aircraft. A spokesman was quoted by Barker as saying Denish was unaware of the regulation. Denish wouldn’t talk with Barker. Read more here:

From the New Mexico Independent - Both candidates for governor have told The Independent they support spending more money to strengthen the State Auditor’s Office. Democrat Diane Denish and Republican Susana Martinez both told The Independent if elected governor they would support sending more money to the agency, which despite its oversight role and several high-profile corruption scandals has endured deep budget cuts. Read more here:

By Zahira Torres and Daniel Borunda \ El Paso Times - AUSTIN -- Until recently, the Mexican Revolution may have been the last time bullets from Mexico hit El Paso. But a stray bullet that hit the University of Texas at El Paso during the weekend now marks the second time in nearly two months that gunfire from Mexico may have crossed into El Paso and struck buildings, officials said. Though it is not conclusive, law enforcement officials believe it is likely that both shootings were tied to violence in Juárez that did not target El Pasoans. On Monday, city leaders and law enforcement attempted to temper concerns by assessing what measures were practical in dealing with the latest development. The conclusion: not much can be done about random gunfire coming from another country. Read more

NewsNM listeners have heard many statements made by Mayor Miyagishima, Herb Torres at LCPS, and developer John Moscato on our shows. Their assertions regarding the Boulevard of Broken Dreams fiasco reflect a remarkable consistency. To those with an anti-growth and ignore job creation agenda, facts can be very stubborn things.

N. Sonoma Ranch Boulevard - Site of "Temporary Road"

The terrible local road situation near the new schools off North Sonoma Ranch Boulevard is not complicated. Clearly, a first class road project, to be financed in its entirety by NMFA, was derailed by city council with councilors Dolores Connor and Sharon Thomas providing public defense of the derailment. The project would have provided a four-lane divided roadway with multi-purpose paths, bike lanes, street lights and many other amenities. Instead of the road project being advanced, a successful ambushing was orchestrated by anti-growth forces at a city council work session back in April. As a result of the ambush process, agreements made via a good faith resolution by the city council in January were abrogated. These actions resulted in a huge amount of wasted time and money in both the public and private sectors. There are many other facts related to the squandered opportunity get a decent road built for the area. The three most stubborn facts are these:
1. Once the properties that would be included in the S.A.D. were agreed to in January, an order was placed for an expensive property appraisal of the agreed upon properties. The appraisal was completed and paid for by the property owner/developer. That appraisal was later rendered worthless when council changed its mind on the details. If the property owners "come back to the table" as councilors seem to suggest, they will have to re-do the appraisal and re-engineer the project. Not knowing whether council will change its mind again makes it difficult for there to be any trust remaining by those who have wasted so much effort and money on the ever-changing whims of council.

Appraised Properties for S.A.D.

2. Testimony at the April work session indicated that there was a tentative $10 million funding commitment for the entire project from the New Mexico Finance Authority. This fact was communicated clearly to the city council. Despite the best efforts of Mayor Ken Miyagishima, this huge financial commitment was never capitalized on. Hundreds of jobs remain lost to the area, not to mention a decent road for the two new schools in the area and huge deposits into gross receipts tax coffers.
3. The $1 million reimbursement due to LCPS from the property owner, was contingent upon the timely fulfilling of all agreements reached by all parties in January. The conditions for LCPS reimbursement were ruined by the inaction of the council at the April work session.
Simply put, the ambush orchestrated on the developer (and LCPS) by councilors apparently via subsequent agreements made with anti-growth and anti-job elements within the area, have cost LCPS $1 million. The chance for a decent access road to the brand new schools has been lost and untold economic impact has been stranded.

What LCPS Lost (above)

Despite uninformed assertions to the contrary, these are the very stubborn facts connected with the Special Assessment District torpedoed by Councilors Connors and Thomas over the objections of Mayor Ken Miyagishima. NewsNM will continue to serve as finder of fact. Our next step will be to take pictures of the pitiful road LCPS will be throwing down at the site pictured above. One can anticipate the pictures being stubborn reminders of a bad blunder.

From the Las Cruces Sun-News - LAS CRUCES - Mike Provenzano Sr. practiced what he preached Monday. Leading a group of bankers, Provenzano walked into Milo's Cuts, La Casa de Vaquero Western Wear and Tip Top Nail, said "hello," and shook hands with his new neighbors. "My family believes that if you take care of your neighborhood, the neighbors will take care of you," said Provenzano, president and chief executive officer of Pro's Ranch Markets, which officially became the new anchor tenant of El Paseo Plaza, 1160 El Paseo Road.

"I'm very pleased to be here, very humbled to be part of this neighborhood." Pro's Ranch Markets became Las Cruces' newest business when, with little fanfare, City Council unanimously approved zoning changes for three parcels at El Paseo Plaza. The council's action was on the consent agenda of Monday's land-use meeting at City Hall, and there were no comments and no questions from the council until the end of the meeting. When they finally talked about Pro's Ranch, it was to congratulate the business for coming to the city. Read more here:

We have received numberous requests to post the link to NM Senator Jeff Bingaman's "Wilderness" bill and his contact information (email: bingaman.senate.gov - phone # (202) 224-5521). This bill, also supported by NM Senator Tom Udall, will deny continuous access by various law enforcement agencies, particularly the U.S. Border patrol, to areas in Southern Dona Ana County on the Mexican Border. The entire text of the bill can be read by clicking here:

From the El Paso Times - For all of the talk about border security and beefing it up, El Paso has never been safer, law officers said Monday. More than 1,900 people have been killed in Juárez this year. Only three homicides have occurred in El Paso -- the lowest number in 10 years. One reason for El Paso's safety, officials said, is an increase in law enforcement officers working in this region, to a total of about 6,000. "We all know how dangerous the city of Juárez is, but look at how safe our city is," said Michael Przybyl, assistant chief patrol agent for the U.S. Border Patrol, El Paso Sector. "That is a testament to the work all of the law enforcement agencies are doing over here. We are prepared for whatever may happen." Read more here:

From Bloomberg - California will delay paying $2.9 billion of subsidies to schools and counties in September, a month earlier than projected, to save cash amid an impasse that has left the state without a budget for 54 days. The state’s top financial officials -- the controller, treasurer and finance director -- told lawmakers today that the 90-day deferrals need to start next month instead of October to make sure there’s enough money to pay bondholders. The amount is in addition to $3.2 billion the state pushed back in July. Read more here:

From the Las Cruces Sun-News - LAS CRUCES - Daily reports of drug cartel-related killings in Juárez may numb sensitivity to the severity of the situation just across New Mexico's southern border. There is, after all, an international boundary - lined with miles of fence and patrolled by scores of federal agents - that separates Mexico from the United States. Periodically, however, incidents like one over the weekend in El Paso call to mind that the raging cartel war is just a stone's throw - or a bullet's shot - away. A stray bullet from a gunfight in Juárez was suspected of striking a building on the University of Texas at El Paso campus Saturday. Another bullet may have hit a vehicle in El Paso. The incident prompted the closure of an El Paso street, a portion of West Paisano Drive, for about 30 minutes. Guillermo Marquez of Dona Ana, a legal resident who immigrated from a small Chihuahua town in 1984, believes there's reason to be concerned the violence could creep northward. The situation in his home country is "awful" now, he said. "I see everything in the news daily," he said. "It's coming, little by little." Marquez said he hasn't returned to Mexico for a visit in about three years because of the violence. "I'd like to go, but I can't," he said. Read more here:

President Barack Obama's administration may propose that any government backing of mortgages be funded by fees on mortgage lenders, The Wall Street Journal reported. The administration has not come up with a final plan for mortgage entities Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, The Wall Street Journal reported without naming its sources. Still, the consensus is that the mortgage market requires some kind of government guarantee. Read more here:

The results of the recent primary elections have political pundits declaring 2010 to be the year of the woman. This may be true, but the real story is that this is the year of the conservative woman. This year the GOP has nominated more female candidates than in any previous election cycle. The number of GOP women running for U.S. House or Senate seats has doubled over the past two years. In California, Republicans nominated Carly Fiorina to run for Senate and Meg Whitman to run for governor. In New Mexico, Susana Martinez was nominated by the Republicans to run for governor. Linda McMahon, who formerly headed World Wrestling Entertainment, is the GOP Senate nominee in Connecticut. In Nevada, former state assemblywoman Sharron Angle was nominated by the Republicans to run against the Liberal Democratic standard bearer and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. An unwavering conservative, Angle seeks to cut federal waste by eliminating the Departments of Energy and Education. A recent Rasmussen poll put her in a dead heat with Reid by a 50 to 49 margin. In South Carolina, Nikki Haley won the primary run-off and now faces Democrat Vincent Sheheen in the November election. Read more here:

There is so much political spin, and so many numbers games being played, when it comes to medical care, that we have to go back to square one and the simplest common sense, in order to get some rational idea of what government-run medical care means. In particular, we need to examine the claim that the government can "bring down the cost of medical care." The most basic fact is that it is cheaper to remain sick than to get medical treatment. What is cheapest of all is to die instead of getting life-saving medications and treatment, which can be very expensive. Despite these facts, most of us tend to take a somewhat more parochial view of the situation when it is we ourselves who are sick or who face a potentially fatal illness. But what if that decision is taken out of your hands under ObamaCare and is being made for you by a bureaucrat in Washington? Read more here: